How To Watch The Before Movies In Order (2024)

The Before trilogy spans many years in both the real world and the fictional setting of the film franchise. The series begins with two characters — Jesse and Céline — meeting during a chance encounter on a train and falling in love over the course of one night. The other two movies continue their complicated love story, but despite their intricate history, all three features are considered minimalist in regard to their storytelling techniques. The narrative primarily relies on the dialogue and chemistry between the two main characters, and the trilogy's simplistic tones made it a success, seeing as it was nominated for and won many prestigious awards and was critically acclaimed.

Richard Linklater directed all three movies in the series, while Linklater and Kim Krizan wrote the first, and Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke penned the second and third films. There have been rumors that discussions of a possible fourth film have occurred between Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke, but there is no confirmation that another movie is in the works. So, as of the writing of this article, the Before film series consists only of three movies, and the order to watch them is straightforward.

The Before Movies In Release Order

See Also

How To Watch 'Batman' Movies In OrderWhy Small Watches Are Making A Big ComebackThe Good, the Bad, the Weird | Rotten TomatoesDollars Trilogy Movie Order & Connections Explained

Director Richard Linklater was inspired by a random woman he met in Philadelphia in 1989 to write the script for Before Sunrise. He moved the setting to Vienna, Austria, and the first film in the Before trilogy was born. Nine years following the release of Before Sunrise, Linklater teamed back up with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for the sequel, Before Sunset, which continued Jesse and Céline's love story. The director decided to stick to the nine-year time span between movies, resulting in the third film in the series, Before Midnight, to release nine years following the first sequel. Consequentially, here is how to watch all three Before movies in release order:

• Before Sunrise — January 27, 1995
• Before Sunset — July 2, 2004
• Before Midnight — May 24, 2013

The Before Movies In Chronological Order Of Events

Before Sunrise

Box Office: $22.5 million | Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Cast: Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Julie Delpy as Céline, Andrea Eckert as wife on the train, Hanno Pöschl as husband on the train, Karl Bruckschwaiger as guy on the bridge, Tex Rubinowitz as guy on the bridge, Erni Mangold as palm reader, Dominik Castell as street poet, Haymon Maria Buttinger as bartender, Bilge Jeschim as belly dancer, and Adam Goldberg as man sleeping on the train

Before Sunrise kicks off Jesse and Céline's love story by showcasing the two characters meeting on a train that departed from Budapest, Hungary, and stopped in Vienna, Austria. Jesse was an American student traveling across Europe, while Céline was a French student returning to Paris, France, after visiting relatives. The movie takes place over the course of one night (June 16, 1994), as Jesse convinced Céline to spend the late night hours roaming the streets of Vienna before she had to leave for Paris, and he had to catch a flight back to the United States. They fell in love but went their separate ways at the end of the film.

Before Sunset

Box Office: $15.8 million | Runtime: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cast: Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Julie Delpy as Céline, Vernon Dobtcheff as a bookstore manager, Louise Lemoine Torres as journalist number one, Rodolphe Pauly as journalist number two, Mariane Plasteig as a waitress, Diabolo as Philippe, Denis Evrard as boat attendant, Albert Delpy as a man at the grill, and Marie Pillet as a woman in a courtyard

Before Sunset takes place nine years after the events of Before Sunrise and features Jesse and Céline reuniting following their one night in Vienna. Jesse, who is married and has a son, writes a book that dramatizes his night with Céline. While promoting the novel in Paris, Jesse meets with Céline, who is also in a relationship, and their love story resumes. The sequel transpires over one afternoon as they roam the streets of Paris and catch up before Jesse's flight departs. The story ends with Jesse missing his flight and the promise that his and Céline's romance will continue.

Before Midnight

Box Office: $23.3 million | Runtime: 1 hour, 49 minutes

Cast: Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Julie Delpy as Céline, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick as Hank, Jennifer Prior as Ella, Charlotte Prior as Nina, Xenia Kalogeropoulou as Natalia, Walter Lassally as Patrick, Ariane Labed as Anna, Yiannis Papadopoulos as Achilleas, Athina Rachel Tsangari as Ariadni, and Panos Koronis as Stefanos

In keeping up with tradition, the third and final film in the trilogy, Before Midnight, occurs nine years following the events of Before Sunset. The movie takes place while Jesse and Céline are on vacation with their twin daughters on the Peloponnese coast in Greece. The story focuses on a turning point in Jesse and Céline's relationship, as Jesse wants to move to Chicago to be closer to his son, while Céline wants to stay in Paris to pursue a new career. By the end of the Before trilogy, though, the couple overcomes their struggles.